Page 67 of Coffee Shop Girl
I grinned and sprawled an arm across the back of the chair next to me. “That’s all.”
“Stability, too, for the girls.”
“And for you.”
Her nose wrinkled. “Right.”
I laughed at the momentary expression of horror on her face. “What? You don’t want stability?”
“It’s not that. It’s just ... it feels like a lot.”
“Successisa lot. But you’ll handle it well, because you have a path now, and it’s working. Just don’t sabotage it. Keep going. Do what works. Success feels so good.”
Hoping to get her closer, I pulled up a spreadsheet.
“Here, have a seat. Let’s look at a few things here.”
She settled next to me. A shudder skated over my skin when her arm touched mine. She reached down, our fingers intertwined beneath the table, out of Lizbeth’s sight. I pulled in a deep breath to rally my thoughts.
While we reviewed the reports that she would generate every month, along with some ideas for getting people into her store, I tried to focus. She asked questions, and I typed them into a document as feedback to send to my assistant, but I couldn’t remember any of them a second later.
“Tomorrow.” I leaned back and scrubbed a hand over my eyes. “We’ll talk about foot traffic strategies. This was a good start today, particularly since you finished the manual.”
My fatigue had little to do with my early morning and everything to do with the fact that I couldn’t sleep with her on my mind. Which had led to the run that ended in a brain-numbing kiss.
“Right.” She fought off her own yawn. “Tomorrow.”
Lizbeth had retreated upstairs to get a new book and hadn’t resurfaced. “I overheard that Lizbeth is going to hang out with Jada tonight,” I said.
Bethany blinked, her eyes bloodshot. “Jada has an extensive library. They’re planning on making dinner and then reading together in the same room.”
“Wild.”
She laughed.
“What about Ellie?”
“Sleeping at Devin’s house. I can’t get them to split up.”
“Good for her. She needs someone her age on her side.”
A sense of relief seemed to emanate from Bethany whenever Ellie and Devin’s unexpected friendship came up.
“I was going to ask you to dinner tonight,” I said in a poor attempt to sound nonchalant. “But you look tired as hell.”
Her eyebrows lifted in a wan smile. “I wouldn’t be much of a date.”
“I seriously doubt that.”
Bethany paused, studying me. When her gaze dropped to my lips, it took a considerable amount of control not to kiss her.
“Maybe you should ask,” she murmured. “I might say yes.”
“And fall asleep over your soup? I think it’s best if you just go to bed.”
“Well, what did you have in mind?”
“Dinner at The Upstairs Cellar in Jackson City.”
